1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a technical field of an electro-optic device which is used as a light valve of a liquid crystal projector and includes an electro-optic panel such as a liquid crystal panel and a mounting case for mounting or accommodating the electro-optic panel, and an electronic apparatus such as a liquid crystal projector including the electro-optic device.
2. Related Art
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3583062, for example, an electro-optic device, which includes an electro-optic panel such as a liquid crystal panel and a mounting case for mounting or accommodating the electro-optic panel, is used as a light valve such as a liquid crystal projector. The mounting case includes a frame and a plate-shaped member, for example. The electro-optic panel is mounted and accommodated in the plate-shaped member such that the circumference thereof is covered by the shape of the frame.
According to Japanese Patent No. 3583062, the liquid crystal panel mounted in the mounting case is provided with light-shielding plates on both the surfaces of a light incident side and a light output side which projection light is incident on and output from, respectively, in a liquid crystal projector.
Here, the frame is provided with a window section defining a window so as not to shield light incident on and output from an effective picture of the electro-optic panel. On the other hand, light incident on and output from an area other than the effective picture of the electro-optic panel is shielded by the window section. Since the window section is incorporated with a wall forming the frame, it is difficult to adjust the thickness of the window section to make the window section thin up to a predetermined value in a manufacturing process.
For example, in the liquid crystal projector, the electro-optic device is cooled by a cooling wind, for example, in order to prevent a considerable increase in the temperature due to strong projection light incident from a light source. When the thickness of the window section described above is increased, a stepped portion occurring between the surface of the electro-optic panel and the surface of the window section is also increased, thereby deteriorating the inflow efficiency of the cooling wind blowing from the window defined by the window section to the surface of the electro-optic panel. In consequence, problems occur in that the cooling efficiency of the electro-optic device deteriorates, dust or particles readily gather in the effective picture of the window, and a display quality deteriorates.
According to the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3583062, it is guessed that the thickness of the above-described window section can be more easily adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the light-shielding plate, compared to a case where the thickness of the window section of the frame is adjusted. However, this configuration also has a problem in that the surface of the electro-optic panel is spaced from the light-shielding plate to be disposed in the frame and thus the stepped portion occurring between the surfaces of the electro-optic panel and the window section is increased, as shown in FIG. 8 of Japanese Patent No. 3583062.